Imran challenges Nawaz to face-off in NA-122 re-polls

PTI chief says the contest would prove whether the polls had been rigged in favour of PML-N or not.


Web Desk August 27, 2015
Imran Khan (L) and Nawaz Sharif (R). PHOTO: REUTERS/EXPRESS

A day after grabbing his ‘hat-trick’ against the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with the election tribunal ruling against them, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Thursday evening threw down the gauntlet to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, challenging him to an old fashioned election-duel.

On Wednesday, the election tribunal had ruled in favour of the PTI, ordering repolls in NA-154, completing a ‘hat-trick’ of tribunal verdicts in favour of the Imran-led party, following similar verdicts in NA-125 and NA-122, with the latter two seats belonging to Federal Minister for Railways Saad Rafique and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, respectively.

On Thursday, the PML-N decided against challenging the tribunal verdicts, opting instead to contest the re-polls.

Read: PML-N decides to contest by-polls on vacant seats

Imran, capitalizing on the move, challenged the prime minister to quit his seat, and contest the repolls in NA-122, to prove whether the PML-N had rigged the elections.



However, it was not clear whether Imran, who is currently part of the National Assembly after being elected from NA-56. Imran had contested the May 2013 elections from four seats: NA-1 Peshawar, NA-122 Lahore, NA-56 Rawalpindi and NA-71 Mianwali. He had won three of those seats - including NA-1, NA-56 and NA-71, but opted to retain only NA-56.

Read: NA-122 rigging allegations: Tribunal terms Ayaz Sadiq's election null and void

Earlier in the week, Imran had claimed that he was justified in demanding Nawaz’s resignation last year, after it emerged that a tribunal judge was allegedly being pressurised by the incumbent PML-N to rule in their favour.

COMMENTS (29)

LIAQT ALI | 8 years ago | Reply RE ELECTION SHOULD BE BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL CONTENDERS. Why is IK running away?
Raghu | 8 years ago | Reply What a loser. If anything Imran should face Ayaz Sadiq, for they were the original contestants.
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